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Free Play (free + play)
Selected AbstractsTouch attenuates infants' physiological reactivity to stressDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2010Ruth Feldman Animal studies demonstrate that maternal touch and contact regulate infant stress, and handling during periods of maternal deprivation attenuates the stress response. To measure the effects of touch on infant stress reactivity during simulated maternal deprivation, 53 dyads were tested in two paradigms: still-face (SF) and still-face with maternal touch (SF+T). Maternal and infant cortisol levels were sampled at baseline, reactivity, and recovery and mother's and infant's cardiac vagal tone were measured during the free play, still-face, and reunion episodes of the procedure. Cortisol reactivity was higher among infants in the SF condition and while cortisol decreased at recovery for infants in the SF+T, it further increased for those in the SF. Vagal tone showed a greater suppression when SF was not accompanied by maternal touch. Touch synchrony during free play was associated with higher infant vagal tone, whereas touch myssynchrony , maternal tactile stimulation while the infant gaze averts , correlated with higher maternal and infant cortisol. In humans, as in mammals, the provision of touch during moments of maternal unavailability reduces infants' physiological reactivity to stress. [source] Reflection in thought and action: Maternal parenting reflectivity predicts mind-minded comments and interactive behaviorINFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 4 2008Katherine L. Rosenblum Recent research has identified mothers' mental reflective functioning and verbal mind-minded comments as important predictors of subsequent infant attachment security. In the present study, we examine associations between mothers' (N = 95) parenting reflectivity expressed in an interview and observed parenting behavior, including verbal mind-minded comments and interactive behavior during interaction with their 7-month-old infants. Parenting reflectivity was coded from the Working Model of the Child Interview. Maternal behavior was assessed via observations of mother,infant interaction during free play and structured teaching tasks. Both maternal appropriate mind-minded comments as well as other indicators of maternal interactive behavior were coded. Parenting reflectivity was positively correlated with mind-minded comments and behavioral sensitivity. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that parenting reflectivity contributed to maternal behavior beyond the contributions of mothers' educational status and depression symptoms. Discussion emphasizes the importance of individual differences in parental capacity to accurately perceive and mentalize their infants' experience, and the consequences of these differences for caregiving behavior. [source] Sustained withdrawal behavior in clinic-referred and nonreferred infantsINFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 3 2006Daphna Dollberg To examine the relations between infants' sustained withdrawal behavior and children's mental health status and maternal and child relational behavior, 36 clinic-referred and 43 control infants were evaluated. Families were visited at home, mother-child free play and feeding interactions were videotaped, and mothers completed self-report measures. Interactions were coded for sustained withdrawal using the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB; Guedeney and Fermanian, 2001) and for global relational patterns with the Coding of Interactive Behavior (CIB; Feldman, 1998). Higher ADBB scores were found for the referred group, with many infants (38.9% ) scoring above the clinical cutoff (vs. 11.6% in the control group). More negative relational patterns were found for the withdrawn group in terms of higher maternal intrusiveness, lower reciprocity, and lower child involvement. Associations were found between maternal and child behavior during play and feeding and child sustained withdrawal behavior at play. Sustained withdrawal also was associated with unpredictable child temperament and lower sense of parental self-efficacy. Maternal depressive symptoms were higher in the referred group and correlated with maternal and child relational patterns. The findings contribute to the construct and discriminant validity of the CIB and the ADBB coding systems, and suggest that sustained withdrawal may serve as a risk indicator for early socioemotional disorders. [source] Physical Activity Pattern of Prepubescent Filipino School Children During School DaysJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 7 2009Consuelo B. Gonzalez-Suarez MD ABSTRACT Background:, Little is known about pre-pubescent Filipino children's involvement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). There are international guidelines regarding required levels of MVPA for healthy children. Methods:, This study describes participation of 11- to 12-year-olds in randomly selected public and private schools in San Juan, Metromanila, in MVPA and sports during a school day. The Filipino-modified Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (F_PAQ_C) was administered in English and Filipino. Additional data was collected on sex, age, type of school, and amount of time spent using television and computers. Children's self-assessment of physical activities (1 question in the F_PAQ_C) was correlated with their cumulative F_PAQ_C score. Results:, Three hundred eighty subjects (167 boys, 213 girls) participated. Participation in MVPA varied between sex and age groups, from 56.1% to 65.0%. Fewer than 10% of participants were very active. The children were more active during physical education classes than at recess or lunch, after class, or in the evening. Walking for exercise, jumping, jogging and running, free play, and dance were most common. Boys, younger children, and private school students most commonly engaged in MVPA. Self-assessed physical activity had modest correlation (r2= 0.21) with cumulative F_PAQ_C score, after adjusting for sex, age, and school type. Conclusion:, Most children were not physically active during the school day, except in physical education classes. To reduce the gap between recommended and current activity levels, more opportunities should be provided for preteen Filipino children to engage in MVPA during and after school. [source] Parent,infant relationship global assessment scale: A study of its predictive validityPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 5 2002YUTAKA AOKI Abstract The Parent,Infant Relationship Global Assessment Scale (PIRGAS; Zero to Three, 1994) provides a continuously distributed scale of infant,parent relationship adaptation, raging from ,well-adapted' to ,dangerously impaired'. The present study examines the predictive validity of the PIRGAS in a high-risk sample by coding relationship adaptation level from a single sample of 10 min of unstructured free play between mothers and their 20-month-old infants and examining its relationship to subsequent interaction with mothers and behavior problems at 24 months. Relationship adaptation assessed reliably from observations of only 10 min of free play between mothers and their infants at 20 months of age using PIRGAS predicted subsequent mother, infant interaction in a laboratory based problem-solving paradigm (Crowell procedure) at 24 months and internalizing symptomatology of Child Behavior Checklist at age 24 months. These results contribute to the predictive validity of the PIRGAS as a measure of mother,infant relationship adaptation. [source] Observations and ratings of preschool children's social behavior: Issues of representativeness and validityPSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 1 2005Brian C. McKevitt Data were gathered from videotaped recordings of two preschool children engaged in unstructured free play over 12 days each. Observers coded behavior from the videotapes and completed a behavior rating scale for each child after every two observation sessions. Teachers also completed two behavior rating scales per child. Results indicated that at least three 30-min observation sessions were required to reliably represent a child's overall behavior. Moderate correlations were obtained when observations were compared with teachers' and observers' own ratings, indicating the behavior rating scale did an adequate job of reflecting actual observed behavior. The implications of these results for researchers and practitioners are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 13,26, 2005. [source] A place to play: Socioeconomic and spatial factors in children's physical activityAUSTRALIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL, Issue 1 2008Jenny Ziviani Background and aims:,Concerns about physical inactivity in children and growing levels of obesity are expressed by politicians, health economists and those involved with the health and well-being of children. As this has the potential to be a major health issue, the aim of this investigation was to explore any contributing socioenvironmental considerations. Methods and results:,Census-matched survey data were analysed from 318 parents of 6- to 7-year-old children, revealing that family socioeconomic status (SES) influenced the places where children engaged in physical activity. Children from low SES backgrounds spent significantly more time playing close to their homes, and their families were less able to afford access to commercial physical-activity facilities, than those from middle and high SES families. Although neighbourhood-based activities are generally associated with more spontaneous free play, such activities may not provide the same opportunities for supervision and physical skill building available through commercial-based activities. Conclusions:,Given that access to ,enriching' physical-activity spaces may be limited by the capacity to pay, these findings have implications for professionals such as occupational therapists who can take on a role in advocating for equity in access and promotion of a more engaging urban design. Dialogue with urban planners is central to this process. [source] Fathers and Mothers at Play With Their 2- and 3-Year-Olds: Contributions to Language and Cognitive DevelopmentCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2004Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda Father,child and mother,child engagements were examined longitudinally in relation to children's language and cognitive development at 24 and 36 months. The study involved a racially/ethnically diverse sample of low-income, resident fathers (and their partners) from the National Early Head Start evaluation study (n=290). Father,child and mother,child engagements were videotaped for 10 min at home during semistructured free play, and children's language and cognitive status were assessed at both ages. Fathers' and mothers' supportive parenting independently predicted children's outcomes after covarying significant demographic factors. Moreover, fathers' education and income were uniquely associated with child measures, and fathers' education consistently predicted the quality of mother,child engagements. Findings suggest direct and indirect effects of fathering on child development. [source] | ||||||||||||||||